Emma! Omg, I love this. The MOOD is life is short; the mood is reading Emma’s brilliant and refreshing newsletter in bed while you let your kid babble about his stuffed animals for 10 minutes bc why tf did he wake up this early! The mood is he had hot chocolate for dinner last night and I regret nothing! The mood is being kind enough to ourselves that we have the energy to throw a fucking rock in the gears of the machines coming to flatten us. The mood is quesadillas with our friends!
The mood is going outside and getting some fresh air. The mood is seed starting as a step toward self-sufficiency and a way of generating hope for things to come. The mood is composting, turning trash into treasure. The mood is listening to birdsong as the world comes back to life. The mood is remembering life was always there, whether we noticed it or not. The mood is noticing it.
The mood is just trying to do some good in the world when so many are doing bad. The mood is cooking and eating delicious food. The mood is getting my garden in shape after winter. The mood is moving my body and painting because those things are just for me.
The mood is inviting friends over for spring equinox tarot readings. The mood is having the second cupcake. The mood is calling my congressional delegation several times a week even though I live in a blue state and they all agree with me. The mood is choosing books for a family read-aloud with our tween and newly-teen kids. The mood is the words diversity and inclusion are in my job title and they are not going anywhere. The mood is moving up to a heavier set of dumbbells. The mood is everyone watches women's sports.
The mood is putting on an elaborate outfit for the grocery store and smiling at people there and picking up some Gatorade and bananas for your friend with the new baby and dropping them off on the way back and when you take the baby for twenty minutes so your friend can take a shower just smiling at the baby quietly and passing a toy back and forth.
The mood is screaming over those nails. The mood is getting inspired by music (new gaga, new Jason isbell) when you're too sad to read. The mood is hanging out with dogs and babies rather than on bluesky. and the mood is VERY wonderful and celebratory for you guys re: the news house- congratulations ♥️
The mood is a delicious mushroom latte in ABQ’s Old Town. The mood is mocha-colored cotton sweatpants all day and sleeping in them all night. The mood is farfalle pasta with homemade tomato sauce for dinner. The mood is one more blizzard snowstorm before spring begins. The mood is reading one page a day of your novel because I love it so much I never want it to end.
Found my way here via Culture Study, probably not the first or the last to do so. Will sign up for a paying subscription when I’m reunited with my laptop (I struggle with Substack on my other devices.) Hope our paths cross in NOLA at the end of the week.
Hi, Emma! Thank you for this!! Love it all! Also, you probably already know of her but I love Julia Turshen and her thoughts on powerlifting, particularly her latest substack, in which her wife tells her "It's OK to want it." I will try to figure out how to send it to you. Here are my moods:
Mood is listening to the birds sing their songs early in the morning
Mood is petting the cats for as long as they want to be pet, even if I have "more important" things to do
Mood is calling my representatives and not sticking to the script
Mood is saying what I want to say to anyone who is willing to listen
Mood is growing out my newly white hair and being astonished at it
Mood is knowing pleasure is revolutionary and taking the time to take please in my pleasures
Mood is apriendido Español una lexcion a la vez
Mood is being OK with making mistakes
Mood is checking in on my friends more often
Mood is reclaiming my mental time from people who suck
Mood is thinking about finances without having a coronary
Mood is protecting my body, my mind, my soul from the bullshit
Mood is honoring my students for who they are and creating a space for them to think about life and stories and language
Mood is being proud of the work I do
Mood is realizing that if worldly success looks like the bullshit chaos in residence at the White House, I am delighted to be an extraordinary failure
Mood is developing relationships with the dead people in my life who I miss
Mood is sandalwood paste and fake cigarettes
Mood is freshly baked goods from our astounding awesome kid
Mood is watched Traitors with said kid and falling in love with Alan Cummings
Mood is pleasure is not suspect
Mood is desire is interesting
Mood is being woken up by the cats at 5 a.m. on the dot and not being mad about it
Mood is sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee at dawn and listening to the birds sing
Mood is imagining all the writers of all the books and stories I love being beside me while I write
Mood is showing myself the same grace I show others
Mood is working towards showing others grace and recognizing the moments I fall short
Mood is letting go of the old shit to make room for the new
The mood is buying a mini lemon sheet cake at Trader Joe’s even though we already had a grocery store St. Patrick’s Day cake at home - bc the lemon cake is seasonal and f’ing delicious, and we deserve the good cake.
The mood is I love this! I didn’t know about the GiveInKind thing. Gonna alert my pals with surgeries coming up. Also, yes nail art! I’ve been following your nail journey on IG and wondering where you got the checkerboard stickers. Now I can buy them! Thanks, Emma! xo
Emma! Omg, I love this. The MOOD is life is short; the mood is reading Emma’s brilliant and refreshing newsletter in bed while you let your kid babble about his stuffed animals for 10 minutes bc why tf did he wake up this early! The mood is he had hot chocolate for dinner last night and I regret nothing! The mood is being kind enough to ourselves that we have the energy to throw a fucking rock in the gears of the machines coming to flatten us. The mood is quesadillas with our friends!
The mood is going outside and getting some fresh air. The mood is seed starting as a step toward self-sufficiency and a way of generating hope for things to come. The mood is composting, turning trash into treasure. The mood is listening to birdsong as the world comes back to life. The mood is remembering life was always there, whether we noticed it or not. The mood is noticing it.
I loved this prompt! It was super generative for me -- here's some of the fragments that came out of it.
The mood is taking a fucking break when you need one.
The mood is decaffeinated black tea, my mom's Irish soda bread, and a sliver of butter.
The mood is a rainy walk that's begging for an Agatha Christie audiobook.
The mood is walking without a destination.
The mood is breathing out.
The mood is just trying to do some good in the world when so many are doing bad. The mood is cooking and eating delicious food. The mood is getting my garden in shape after winter. The mood is moving my body and painting because those things are just for me.
The mood is inviting friends over for spring equinox tarot readings. The mood is having the second cupcake. The mood is calling my congressional delegation several times a week even though I live in a blue state and they all agree with me. The mood is choosing books for a family read-aloud with our tween and newly-teen kids. The mood is the words diversity and inclusion are in my job title and they are not going anywhere. The mood is moving up to a heavier set of dumbbells. The mood is everyone watches women's sports.
The mood is waffles. Breakfast waffles and dinner waffles.
!!!
The mood is putting on an elaborate outfit for the grocery store and smiling at people there and picking up some Gatorade and bananas for your friend with the new baby and dropping them off on the way back and when you take the baby for twenty minutes so your friend can take a shower just smiling at the baby quietly and passing a toy back and forth.
The mood is screaming over those nails. The mood is getting inspired by music (new gaga, new Jason isbell) when you're too sad to read. The mood is hanging out with dogs and babies rather than on bluesky. and the mood is VERY wonderful and celebratory for you guys re: the news house- congratulations ♥️
The mood is a delicious mushroom latte in ABQ’s Old Town. The mood is mocha-colored cotton sweatpants all day and sleeping in them all night. The mood is farfalle pasta with homemade tomato sauce for dinner. The mood is one more blizzard snowstorm before spring begins. The mood is reading one page a day of your novel because I love it so much I never want it to end.
Mood over here is cat-induced insomnia, Swedish Fish for breakfast, unwashed hair, trying and failing to fail better
Thank you for this beautiful essay. ❤️
The mood is saying “wait, what do you mean?” when they say something offensive, with a dead eye stare and a slow sip of coffee.
Found my way here via Culture Study, probably not the first or the last to do so. Will sign up for a paying subscription when I’m reunited with my laptop (I struggle with Substack on my other devices.) Hope our paths cross in NOLA at the end of the week.
Laura!! I’m a huge fan what an honor
Yea, me. I figured out how to sign up for an annual subscription!
Hi, Emma! Thank you for this!! Love it all! Also, you probably already know of her but I love Julia Turshen and her thoughts on powerlifting, particularly her latest substack, in which her wife tells her "It's OK to want it." I will try to figure out how to send it to you. Here are my moods:
Mood is listening to the birds sing their songs early in the morning
Mood is petting the cats for as long as they want to be pet, even if I have "more important" things to do
Mood is calling my representatives and not sticking to the script
Mood is saying what I want to say to anyone who is willing to listen
Mood is growing out my newly white hair and being astonished at it
Mood is knowing pleasure is revolutionary and taking the time to take please in my pleasures
Mood is apriendido Español una lexcion a la vez
Mood is being OK with making mistakes
Mood is checking in on my friends more often
Mood is reclaiming my mental time from people who suck
Mood is thinking about finances without having a coronary
Mood is protecting my body, my mind, my soul from the bullshit
Mood is honoring my students for who they are and creating a space for them to think about life and stories and language
Mood is being proud of the work I do
Mood is realizing that if worldly success looks like the bullshit chaos in residence at the White House, I am delighted to be an extraordinary failure
Mood is developing relationships with the dead people in my life who I miss
Mood is sandalwood paste and fake cigarettes
Mood is freshly baked goods from our astounding awesome kid
Mood is watched Traitors with said kid and falling in love with Alan Cummings
Mood is pleasure is not suspect
Mood is desire is interesting
Mood is being woken up by the cats at 5 a.m. on the dot and not being mad about it
Mood is sitting at my desk with a cup of coffee at dawn and listening to the birds sing
Mood is imagining all the writers of all the books and stories I love being beside me while I write
Mood is showing myself the same grace I show others
Mood is working towards showing others grace and recognizing the moments I fall short
Mood is letting go of the old shit to make room for the new
Mood is not being so shy
Mood is not being so scared
Mood is being grateful for being alive
The mood is buying a mini lemon sheet cake at Trader Joe’s even though we already had a grocery store St. Patrick’s Day cake at home - bc the lemon cake is seasonal and f’ing delicious, and we deserve the good cake.
hell yeah
The mood is I love this! I didn’t know about the GiveInKind thing. Gonna alert my pals with surgeries coming up. Also, yes nail art! I’ve been following your nail journey on IG and wondering where you got the checkerboard stickers. Now I can buy them! Thanks, Emma! xo